Editor’s note: State Broadcast News is participating in a statewide test of a comprehensive database of municipal government meetings, Civlio.ai , which gathers government meeting agendas, supporting documents, and video and audio recordings of meetings to produce a verifiable record of the proceedings. The system includes a range of verification tools to ensure that articles prepared from the data accurately represent what took place at the meeting. This offers hyperlocal news media the ability to leverage small staff resources to provide coverage of local meetings that might otherwise not be available. SBN plans to provide continuing coverage of municipal meetings in Cherry Hill, Merchantville, Voorhees, Pennsauken, Evesham and Mount Laurel initially. We welcome feedback from readers regarding our meeting coverage.

MERCHANTVILLE (SBN) — Merchantville moved to electrify its vehicle rules and fleet on Monday night, adopting an electric-vehicle ordinance and a policy that will steer future borough vehicle purchases toward hybrid and alternative-fuel models.

The fleet policy also closes the last gap in the borough’s Best Practice Inventory, a state questionnaire that determines whether Merchantville keeps its share of state aid. Borough Clerk Denise L. Brouse said the borough had answered enough questions to hold onto its funding, with one exception.

“The only thing that was a question that we formalized in this, at this meeting is that you’re supposed to have a formal plan for purchasing vehicles that we consider electric or hybrid,” she told the council.

The electric-vehicle ordinance, which adds a new article to Chapter 86 governing vehicles and traffic, was adopted with a last-minute amendment striking the words “bicycle paths” from one section so the rules apply to roadways only.

Councilman Anthony Perno flagged the change during the vote, confirming with Raymond H. Woods III that the adoption was “taken subject to the changes that you had wanted, Mr. Woods,” regarding electric bicycles.

The ordinance passed, as did the fleet policy, which was approved as part of a slate of 11 resolutions read together under the consent agenda.

The council also adopted an ordinance permitting extra-duty police work within the borough, and separately authorized an agreement with Hart Halsey LLC, a Shelton, CT, law enforcement consulting company with an office in Manasquan, Monmouth County, to run the side-work program for police staff. The extra-duty measure drew no public comment during its hearing.

The police department reported 1,297 incidents for the month of September, including what it described as 191 positive community interactions, 153 traffic stops, 68 parking-enforcement incidents, and two arrests.

In other business, the council introduced an ordinance opting into the Garden State C-PACE program, a financing tool for clean-energy improvements, but tabled it for lack of a full council. The next meeting is set for October 26.

Home

About

Merchantville Adopts EV Rules, Fleet Electrification Policy